Maria's Italian Cafe adding extra day before closure

Customers will have an extra day to try for reservations at Maria's Italian Café before the longtime Rockford eatery closes by year's end.

Maria's, 828 Cunningham St., will open on Tuesdays starting next week through the end of the year, said Maria Cason, whose family has run the restaurant for nearly a century.

Cason lives in Atlanta but is coming back to Rockford this weekend for the holidays. She said her brothers told her phones have been ringing nonstop since the family announced it would close the restaurant after business on Dec. 31.

"We're all so humbled by it," she said. "We're in awe. We don't know what to say. The outpouring has been amazing."

She said people have been calling from other states like California to make reservations before the closure. I tried calling the restaurant at least a half-dozen times on Thursday but couldn't get through.

Maria's will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday moving forward but will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. If my math is right, that leaves 23 days left to dine on steaks and pasta.